Every business owner has a successful CEO they look up to and dream of starting their own company the way they did. However, what works for them doesn't often work for you. There is a saying, "The same boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg." What makes the difference is how you are, which stays constant, not the circumstances that continuously change. Think of business as crossing the ocean. Most entrepreneurs would tell you how to build a ship to get across. Presumably, you might end up a ship, but with slightly less quality than others. Building a ship is what many usually do, but why not make a plane and fly instead? If you're looking for a matchless way of starting or running a business, this one's for you!
Rework (2010) by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, founders of 37 Signals, a massively successful online software company that produces products used by millions of people worldwide. A New York Times bestseller both in the US and UK. Rework is a straightforward, facile approach to success in business. It is concise, engaging, and filled with easy to implement tips; designed to be less talk and work more. A 279-page book with spacious margins, 90 full-page illustrations, and large type size reads from front to back in about 3-5 hours. It will make you rethink your ways of running your business. They are five key points that piqued my interest.
Outbound Authors, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
While these fundamentals aren't technically top-secret, they are simple yet powerful rules. The underlying simplicity can become a real business differentiator. The primary point of view is that most business owners need to embrace the power of LESS. Either you're a hard-core entrepreneur, small-business owner, or merely a dreamer, less is more!
Aside from modern advice, Rework provides examples as well from personal to their company. It also has excellent quotes about starting a business. What’s more interesting is that they precisely hit the nail on the head to communicate these points. They don’t use plenty of words; they use the right words.
Rework tells you what can work in today’s modern environment versus the previous generation when they started their businesses. It throws away the old ways and in with the new. Rework shows you that starting a business requires less than you ever thought. Plans are harmful. To create a great product or service is to build something that you want to use. Working long hours does not result in productivity. Competition is irrelevant; stay honest and personal. Press releases are spam; create dynamic emails to avoid spam triggers. The perfect balance of simple yet profound, counter-intuitive yet useful wisdom with truth slaps in the face.
A product of success from Rework is Yannis Psarras, the CEO of Moosend (2013). With a team of 25 people, they operate in London, UK, and Athens, Greece. Moosend is an email marketing software and marketing automation software. It is a leading customer engagement platform with a large client base ranging from small businesses and freelancers to large FTSE 100 enterprises. Moosend provides a web platform for marketers to manage their contacts, segment and analyze vast amounts of their customers' data, engage with their client base and automatically collect feedback.
One of Moosend’s pros is marketers can send unlimited numbers of campaigns for customers. It has no limit restriction. However, this kind of platform is vulnerable to abuse. It may seem like a perfect product for spammers due to the unlimited campaigns and flat fee. Fortunately, Moosend differs from the rest of email software because it can detect spam accounts.
Yannis Psarras, Founder/CEO of Moosend
When emails are sent but not opened, their system tracks the spam accounts and blocks them. If Moosend allowed spam creators, their sales could’ve gone through the roof. Yannis does meaningful and honest work; they don’t want to earn without values.
Email is the most popular form of communication in business. Email marketing campaigns are the best when it comes to business-to-business promotions. Unfortunately, it suffers from the “Spam Stigma.” In Rework, Jason emphasizes the negativity of the press release. Yannis took note of this rule and incorporated it in Moosend. He wanted to break the stigma by applying qualifications in Moosend to avoid spammers. Yannis’ co-founder, Panos Melissaropoulos, is part of the Messaging, Malware, and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group (M3AAWG). An international non-profit industry-led organization founded to fight online abuse such as phishing, botnets, fraud, spam, viruses, and denial-of-service attacks. With sincere dedication, Yannis and Panos aim to eliminate the spam stigma in the email marketing industry.
In general, Rework is a must-read for anyone who aspires to start a business and those with prevailing companies. This book is real talk that starting a company doesn’t require perfection. It is optimum for startups looking for a unique way to storm the business world. Rework is also advantageous for established CEOs who are open to change in management and business. Rework is most favorable for founders with an internet-based business and a more traditional company that needs to shake things up.
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